Music producer Robbie Hiser has faith that there will always be a place for creatives, even as artificial intelligence becomes more integrated into various fields. Hiser has helped train AI for a company called Mercor, which aims to improve AI models like ChatGPT in subjects ranging from finance to poetry. Mercor employs over 100,000 freelancers from different industries to teach AI what they know.
Hiser, along with other trainers, does not believe AI will replace their jobs. He argues that creative tasks, such as songwriting, require human experiences and emotions that AI lacks. “AI doesn’t have any life experience to pull from,” Hiser explained. “An AI never had a girlfriend break up with it.”
Despite this confidence, a Pew Research study found that nearly three-fourths of Americans worry that AI might threaten their jobs. Additionally, a report from McKinsey Global Institute suggests that AI could potentially force 11 million U.S. workers into new careers by 2035.
Changes and Perspectives
Mercor CEO Brendan Foody views the adoption of AI as a natural evolution in the workplace. He believes AI will handle mundane and repetitive tasks, allowing people to focus on more meaningful work. An example of this transformation can be seen at the law firm Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease. They collaborated with Stanford University’s Liftlab to develop AI personas based on the knowledge of their senior lawyers, which provide document feedback from a unique perspective.
Trial lawyer Kim Herlihy believes AI will enhance their preparation but not replace fundamental human interactions. She emphasized that AI is designed for optimization, not substitution. “You call your lawyer because you want to look in their eye and say, ‘What should I do about this issue?’” Herlihy stated.
Currently, AI training ranks as the fourth-fastest-growing job category on LinkedIn. Trainers at Mercor may earn between $20 and $200 an hour. Foody views this as a career with promising prospects.
Economic Concerns
Nobel Prize-winning economist Daron Acemoglu expresses concerns about AI’s rapid growth. He predicts that increased automation could lead to worker displacement. “What we are living through with AI is unprecedented,” Acemoglu remarked. He warned that unemployment might triple in the next decade if current trends continue.
Acemoglu acknowledged that jobs in AI training will exist but cautioned that the number is small compared to those who could be replaced due to automation. “That’s the whole point of automation,” he noted.
Workforce Impact
While unemployment remains steady, Stanford research indicates hiring has slowed for youth in AI-exposed jobs such as software development. The U.S. Census also found a decline in hiring and wages for recent graduates in AI-related fields.
Clara Shih, who previously managed AI divisions at Salesforce and Meta, highlights how AI can significantly reduce staffing needs for product development. Alarmed by these shifts, she left her tech role to start a nonprofit guiding young workers in the new economy. “AI can now perform tasks traditionally assigned to young employees, like conducting market research,” Shih explained.
Shih believes AI will affect all professions, impacting not only employment but also self-worth and community ties.
Future Strategies
Shih draws parallels between AI’s impact on white-collar jobs and the past effects of globalization and automation on factory workers. She stresses the importance of honesty about potential risks. “Sugarcoating doesn’t help,” she warned.
For Acemoglu, it’s crucial to guide AI’s development rather than reject it outright. He suggests strategies such as designing AI that complements human workers and revising tax codes to incentivize hiring humans. He emphasized that proactive discussions are needed to determine AI’s role in the workforce.